3-yrs in storage (cast iron & herbs), now what? (restaurant, health, cookers)
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1. My cast iron Dutch oven was in storage for 3-yrs. I seasoned then slathered both parts inside & out with Crisco shortening before placing in its original box & into storage. But, I'm assuming the Crisco could be/is rancid?? So, what do I do with the pans before using them to cook?
I found a YTube vid that said to scrub it completely with a Brillo pad to remove all seasoning, then re-season. Another said to put it into the dishwasher then re-season. I don't want to trust that the Crisco is safe, but I also don't want to ruin/rust the pans. What would you cast iron cookers do?
If it makes a difference, the storage unit wasn't climate controlled & was in the northeast, so weather was super hot, super cold & often rainy. There's no damage or mold or insect infestation of any kind.
2. I also have an unopened, bulk pkg of dried basil & oregano that was in storage. I threw away lbs of dried fruits that I wasn't sure would be okay, mainly as they looked discolored... I had no idea it would be 3-yrs in storage... I thought it was going to be 1-mo... long story. The herbs look fine... if I had to say anything, it would be that they look drier. Would you trust the safety of consuming them if the pkg was never opened?
I can attach pics, if that's the only way to tell & of course, will happily discard them if everyone disagrees.
smell the herbs. Do they smell nice and pungent? Keep them. Do they smell dusty? Toss them.
For the cast iron, I hear you on not wanting to re-season. Put them, empty and upside down, in a very hot oven for 3 hours or more (put a cookie sheet covered with foil on a rack below them to catch drips) and let cool overnight. That will cook off the rancidity and kill off anything germy. The next day, put them on the stovetop with a bit of heat and check the smell. If the smell is neutral, you're good to go. Just wash & wipe with oil as usual. If it's stinky, then you will need to completely wash and re-season.
To be clear, I know the pan needs to be washed & I have no problem re-seasoning... I do it often as I only own cast iron & I don't have top of the line pans, just Lodge, which is what I can afford... they seem to need re-seasoning more than better made pans.
To be safe, I'm supposing that Crisco left on the surface, inside & out, for 3-yrs is or could be & should be assumed to be rancid, so the pans need to be scrubbed clean, then re-seasoned again.
Okay... but, how do I properly scrub the pans clean of all seasoning to begin again? Like I mentioned, 1 person suggested scrubbing raw with a Brillo pad, but in her YTube vid it rusted her pan... I wouldn't know how to get rust off a pan, it wasn't addressed in her vid. Another put it into the dishwasher. Would just washing in hot water by hand, with a sponge/scrubber be adequate to get all the seasoning off the pans or should I use one of the 2 above methods... or another?
With the herbs, I guess I'll toss them. I've been awfully sick over the past & this year with the flu THREE times, food poisoning a few times & all sorts of ailments from stress... I just don't want to take the chance.
you can Brillo wash and wipe dry with paper towels immediately and then immediately skim coat with oil, so that should keep the rust from forming. Then you can put on a heavier seasoning coat.
Lots of people continue using soap after the initial seasoning and they are still above ground.
I don't as there could be a trace of it left on the pan still, and throwing oil on top of it eventually just adds layers of it, much like using a combination shampoo/conditioner...shampoo still in hair with a coating to to seal it in. Not so much a health issue with me as it is a taste issue.
Some also claim that it aids in compromising the integrity of the seasoning.
Once it's seasoned correctly, the current meal should not have to be wire-brushed or Brillo-ed off. If anything, coarse or Kosher salt with a paper towel, otherwise it removes the previous seasoning and you almost have to start from scratch.
FWIW, some good CI info here (some even debatable!) with pics:
Lots of people continue using soap after the initial seasoning and they are still above ground.
I don't as there could be a trace of it left on the pan still, and throwing oil on top of it eventually just adds layers of it, much like using a combination shampoo/conditioner...shampoo still in hair with a coating to to seal it in. Not so much a health issue with me as it is a taste issue.
Some also claim that it aids in compromising the integrity of the seasoning.
Once it's seasoned correctly, the current meal should not have to be wire-brushed or Brillo-ed off. If anything, coarse or Kosher salt with a paper towel, otherwise it removes the previous seasoning and you almost have to start from scratch.
FWIW, some good CI info here (some even debatable!) with pics:
I saw a review of this Chainmail cleaner thingie a few weeks ago. Probably wouldn't be suffient for what OP wants to accomplish but it looks like a pretty handy thing to have if you use your CI a lot:
1. My cast iron Dutch oven was in storage for 3-yrs. I seasoned then slathered both parts inside & out with Crisco shortening before placing in its original box & into storage. But, I'm assuming the Crisco could be/is rancid?? So, what do I do with the pans before using them to cook?
I found a YTube vid that said to scrub it completely with a Brillo pad to remove all seasoning, then re-season. Another said to put it into the dishwasher then re-season. I don't want to trust that the Crisco is safe, but I also don't want to ruin/rust the pans. What would you cast iron cookers do?
If it makes a difference, the storage unit wasn't climate controlled & was in the northeast, so weather was super hot, super cold & often rainy. There's no damage or mold or insect infestation of any kind.
2. I also have an unopened, bulk pkg of dried basil & oregano that was in storage. I threw away lbs of dried fruits that I wasn't sure would be okay, mainly as they looked discolored... I had no idea it would be 3-yrs in storage... I thought it was going to be 1-mo... long story. The herbs look fine... if I had to say anything, it would be that they look drier. Would you trust the safety of consuming them if the pkg was never opened?
I can attach pics, if that's the only way to tell & of course, will happily discard them if everyone disagrees.
Thank you very much!
Lick the cast iron.
Feed the dry herbs to the cat, if it lives you're good to go!
Oil in herbs dries or gets rancid but you can smell that.
I don't use the CI as much as I'd like, but I do have several carbon steel woks.
They come with some sort of oil on them.
I washed and brushed it off, dried it, then put it over a constant low flame in a well ventilated area as I have an outdoor wok burner, many times stronger than the home kitchen gas stove (the only way to stir-fry).
Using a clean paper towel, I coated it with peanut oil (oil of choice for most Asian dishes) and let the oil dry up.
I repeated the same procedure at least 18 times (3-4 hours).
When it was finished, the color of the pan was now almost jet black.
Now when I use the wok, food comes off easily.
I just run it under hot water several times, wiping it with a fresh paper towel each time until it's fully clean and dry.
Sometimes I do use a brush (thick brown bamboo bristles much like those from a corn broom) from an Asian restaurant supply house. Don't get the nylon bristles just in case you have to rub it across a hot pan.
I can tell when it's clean when I wipe the fresh hot water off it and the paper towel is spotless.
I then briskly rub the final coat of peanut oil on it and dry it on a real low flame.
If you're not going to use it for a while, briskly rub the oil until it is almost dry.
Leaving it too slick for extended times could make it rancid.
This is the brush I use which swirls around the wok nicely, don know if the shape works as well with a standard-shaped pan:
That type handle is much easier to maneuver for me than this more common one as you may have to have your hand halfway down the bristles to make them firmer:
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